Schwing

M chahoua, more commonly just called "chahoua", are endemic to the islands of New Caledonia. Several different localities exist for this species. Chahoua are gaining popularity in the pet trade due to their beautiful and diverse coloration, soft feel, hardiness, and general resilience to handling. Despite their increasing presence, chahoua are still relatively expensive compared to crested geckos.

Schwing is a captive-produced, retired breeder from LAC Herps. Though he will not be breeding again, Schwing is a gorgeous example of a chahoua gecko. He is exceptionally calm and handleable, and he is not known to be bitey or jumpy. He is GREAT at catching crickets or giving us heart attacks by seamlessly blending into his cork bark furniture.

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Interested in keeping chahoua? Below are general parameters for making your gecko comfortable. For more information, Extant Relatives recommends Reptifile's detailed care sheets.

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Lifespan: 20 years

Cage Size: Minimum 24" x 24" x 36" (High rather than wide)

Day/Night Hours: 12/12 OR 14/10 (Summer) to 10/14 (Winter)

Active times: Most active at night

Day temps: 70-75 F

Hot Spot: 82-85 F

Night temps: 65-72 F

Daytime humidity: 60%

Nighttime humidity: 80%

UVB: Low

Substrate: Organic topsoil or coconut fiber (or mix)

Diet: Meal Replacement Powders with insects for enrichment.

Decor: Arboreal - branches, cork tubes, plants.

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Our setup: ExRe houses chahoua individually in 20 gal/gecko minimum, vertically-oriented enclosures. These arboreal reptiles spend most of their time exploring cork bark tubes and branches or hiding among potted Pothos vines, spider plants, and other strategically-placed plants. Their enclosure floor consists of cocofiber substrate, a soaking/drinking bowl, and an isopod clean-up crew. Their enclsoures are heavily misted 2-4 times per week, depending on the season, to maintain a general humidity of around 70%. Temperatures range from 70F at the bottom of the enclosure to 85F at the top. They use the full range of their enclosures to regulate their temperature and hydration. A single puck light provides enough light for their plants and their day/night cycle. We do not use UVB with our chahoua, though they are closely monitored and receive Vitamin D supplementation. ExRe's chahoua enjoy rotating flavors of Repashy MRP 2-3 times per week. Once every 2 weeks, they gets everyone's favorite flavor: Banana Cream Pie. Environmental enrichment is provided by adding vitamin- and mineral-dusted crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, waxworms, or silkworms to their diets.